Revision of EU ambient air quality legislation

NAT/879 - Revision of EU ambient air quality legislation

Section: Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment (NAT)

Rapporteur: Kęstutis Kupšys (Civil society organisations – Group III / Lithuania)

Opinion type: mandatory

Reference: COM(2022) 542 final — 2022/0347 (COD)

Context:

Proposal for a Directive. Clean air is essential for our health and that of the environment. Reducing air pollution has large co-benefits for climate mitigation, energy security and biodiversity, and it increases the resilience of populations for pandemics. To this end, the EU sets standards to avoid the build-up of excessive pollution concentrations. As part of the European Green Deal, the EU is revising these standards, to align them more closely with the recommendations of the World Health Organization.

Key points:

In the opinion, the EESC:

• strongly supports the right to compensation for people who have suffered health damage from air pollution and penalties for natural and legal persons within the Member State that violated the rules.
• recommends fully aligning the EU air quality standards with the updated World Health Organization's Global Air Quality Guidelines by 2030 at the latest, and defining a strong enabling framework based on limit values, enforcement mechanisms and clear management rules.
• calls for funding increase for citizen science projects related to pollution under the Horizon Europe programme. Citizens should act too and learn about the link between their lifestyle, actions, consumption patterns, and pollution levels

The proposal is currently being negotiated between the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament. The two institutions are expected to reach an agreement by 20 June 2023.

Date of the section meeting: 3 February 2023

Results of the section meeting vote: 40 in favour, 7 against, 3 abstentions

Date of adoption at the EESC plenary session: 22-23 February 2023

Results of the plenary session vote: 145 in favour, 9 against, 12 abstentions

Contacts: